episode_0028

[13A1] revisited.

I’m sitting on the railing right now, catching my breath.

“Don’t really push this time. I will go down on my own.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t really push.”

“Oppa, do you know that you’ve been saying that for the fifth time already?”

I know you can’t fall and get hurt, but the same goes for roller coasters and bungee jumping. Rather, I wonder if it’s crazy to jump like nothing happened.

When I look down, I can see the far bottom.

“It won’t work. Just together…”

“Oh, just wait a moment and I’ll come down!”

I remember my elementary school days. There was a glass elevator in a nearby movie theater building, and I was so scared every time I went to see a movie. Also, I was forced to ride the Blue Dragon Train and almost died.

Are you scared of me? Of course not. How calm am I? This is instinct. People are naturally scared when they fall from a high place. The ones that aren’t scary are psychopaths and adrenaline addicts.

“Well, Daju. I just thought of it, how about tying a rope and going down slowly?”

“……”

“Don’t look at me so pathetically.”

“Okay. I have something in my bag, so grab it and go down.”

Daju thinks for a moment, but surprisingly obediently complies. Are you doing this because you feel sorry for what happened earlier? Looking at things like this, he seems like a good kid at heart, even if he sometimes crosses the line. The problem is that it’s not sometimes.

Daju takes out a string from his bag and ties it to the railing post. After making sure the rope is tied tightly, he hands me a pair of work gloves.

“This is enough, right?”

“Yes. It’s much better than just jumping.”

“Then, oppa, go down first. I’ll be checking to see if the rope is okay.”

“Yes.”

They did this to me, so I can’t help but gain courage. A man should be able to do this. I grabbed the rope tightly and threw myself over the railing.

“…Huh?”

The reassuring feeling the rope gave me disappeared in an instant.

The end of the knot that was clearly tied tightly to the end of the pillar was held in Daju’s hand.

“Magic~”

“Ah.”

I fell for Yoon Da-ju’s play again.

In an instant, the acceleration increased and the body was sucked downward.

[13A1] Bottom of layer.

machinery.

“Ha……Daju.”

“Yes?”

“I may look easy like this, but I can still show the bottom of humanity.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do anything you’re sorry about?”

This shame. I will definitely pay it back someday.

“Okay, take out what your sister wrote.”

“Here.”

Daju Yoon takes out a piece of paper from her pocket and hands it to her. This is a list of supplies needed to survive right now.

【 Water (large bottle of mineral water) // Drink in moderation. Food that can be stored for a long time: Instant rice. Canned food, etc…

paper towel

……】

The list goes on and on.

【You don’t have to push yourself too hard! 】

Then why not keep the list short in the first place! Heo Yoon is also a rather funny person.

It was obvious that it would be too much to pack all of these, so I decided to pack only the items that were marked as particularly urgent first.

First of all, water.

As people live, they drink more water than they think. This is especially true if you exercise a lot. Right now, I have countless memories of running around exploring apartments. You should always carry plenty of clean water.

I went and stood to the left of the mechanism.

“A 2-liter bottle of mineral water.”

The exchange took place quickly.

There were more and more scratches on the back of my hand, and bottled water fell and rolled on the right side of the device.

This solves the problem I was a little anxious about. I told Daju what I found out.

“I think it’s different for each person.”

There are two things I learned in advance from the last expedition.

– Daju Yoon cut her hand deeply just by asking for a piece of candy.

– I took a can of tuna and antibiotics, but I ended up with a few scratches on the back of my hand.

So, at the meeting, we developed the hypothesis that ‘exchange costs are different for each person.’

Some people charge 700 won per melona, while others get 1,200 won each.

So how is the exchange fee determined? Seok Hyeon-min thought that it was related to ‘tolerance’ to ‘anomalies’.

– It’s just a guess, but it’s highly likely. So, there is also Daju’s case. I think it’s too dangerous to go all together and experiment. I feel a little sorry for Dabin, but what can I do? For the time being, I’ll have to take care of myself. [13A1] I think it’s right to use this as a temporary measure, save as much supplies as possible, hold on, and quickly find another location.

Heo Yoon adds a few words from the side.

– okay. Da-joo loses a piece of his flesh to a single piece of candy, but you said that Da-bin ended up with a few scratches even after receiving several pieces of food, right? I feel it. Originally, [13A1] was supposed to be a group that forced people to do business at a loss, but they are a fraud. So the exchange is established. Maybe that’s what it is?

So, I decided to take charge of procuring supplies for the time being. Instead, they are completely exempt from doing housework or dangerous expeditions.

Next, I grabbed a few more water bottles.

“Five 2-liter bottles of mineral water.”

Rumble-

Daju picks up the water bottle and fills it up with a sigh.

“Ah! Don’t do too much at once.”

“5 cans of tuna and 5 cans of yellow peach each. 3 packs of frozen dumplings. 4 bundles of 9 Haetbahn.”

Even if you get this far, all you get is a few slightly stinging wounds on your forearms.

It feels like using the item copy cheat in the game.

“Are you done?”

“……”

While looking through the list, my eyes stopped on an item marked with an asterisk.

okay. I guess this is important too. But…kinda…

“Why aren’t you saying anything? brother? Are you okay?”

“Sanitary napkins…bundle pack…”

“Ahahahaha!”

Daju bursts out laughing from across the room.

But I’m taking care of this because someone else needs it, it has nothing to do with me.

It doesn’t matter. I’m not…I’m not…

It was only for a moment that Hyeonta arrived. I quickly shook off the uncomfortable thoughts and moved on to the next item.

“A bundle of white socks.”

My forearm is throbbing, but it’s not unbearable.

After gathering what I needed, I exited the left section of the machine and rolled up my sleeves.

“Is it over now?”

“Why. Do you need anything else?”

“No. Even now, I’m having a hard time picking it up.”

“Pick it up hard. I need to get some rest.”

The arms exposed beneath the sleeves were covered in blood.

“U. It stings.”

There are several lines of scars that look like they were scratched with a sharp knife. I also felt a dull pain a few times, and when I checked, I also saw a few bruises.

It’s not a very serious wound and will heal quickly, but it’s still not a very pleasant feeling.

Daju is carrying a water bottle, bending over and whining. Among the old paintings, Millet’s ‘The Angelus’ comes to mind.

Now that I see that, I feel good.

Want to help? Of course not. I should eat some popcorn while getting some fresh air.

I flicked the flashlight around and looked at the scenery on the [13A1] floor.

At first glance, it looks like an ordinary parking lot. Aside from the mechanical devices that fill one wall, there are a few interesting things to see.

Image by Markus Christ from Pixabay

First, the space visible in the distance. I slowly approached and swept my hand along the wall.

Although it looks like a three-dimensional space to the eye, it is actually a mural created to create an illusion.

When you see the soot on the wall, it looks like someone scorched the wall and painted on it, but it’s something that even ordinary talent and perseverance wouldn’t dare to do.

“……”

I took out a candy bar from the bag on my back and threw it toward the mural.

Tuk.

The candy bar surprisingly settles on the floor between the three-dimensional pillars.

however

Next moment.

Right now-

A pressed chocolate bar sticks to the wall for a moment, then falls to the floor.

“Hu……”

Have you already developed intuition?

Seongjin Park also said something like that before. If you walk around this apartment for a long time, you will become suspicious of anything that looks strange. In the end, it turned out to be correct. Because Park Seong-jin died because of the newly introduced network.

Next, the floor over there.

Something rough is stuck to the floor, shining in the light that is scarce in the space on this floor.

Get closer and look downward.

Traces of dried liquid extend far into the distance. One long line… without any breaks…

“Oppa. What are you doing there? I packed all my stuff!”

“Wait a minute.”

Moment. A terrible thought crossed my mind.

no. It’s not a thought, it’s more like a momentary memory.

This trace.

I have seen it.

“Ugh!”

I reflexively felt nauseous.

“What is it again? Are you okay?”

Daju runs quickly this way.

He seemed to stop when he saw the mural, but immediately came next to me and checked the condition.

“Here…look at the floor.”

“The floor? Something is drying up. Something like sticky blood. Moving something like meat…?”

“Not long ago, when I first came to the 7th floor. Do you remember?”

“Yes.”

Da-ju still looks confused.

He is just looking at my face with a blank expression.

“At that time, Park Seong-jin also came back after completing his exploration.”

“Wait a minute. Then is that…?”

“That’s probably right. Look at the texture or the color. It’s so similar.”

The body of a male college student that Park Seong-jin brought in in a sack.

The former owner of room 704, where I stayed, returned as a writhing piece of meat.

Memories of that time flash through my mind clearly.

– This lump has tremendous healing effects…

Park Seong-jin explained with a complicated expression.

– Hey Park Seongjin!!!!!

Choi Jun-ki was angry with a scary expression.

What’s even more creepy is,

This is what Choi Jun-gi said next.

…Will you do an experiment later? Replacing just a few people will revive the dead, so why not mass-produce them? uh?

A cool energy flows from my spine and out through my fingertips.

After a few seconds, I could barely keep my mouth shut.

“……Daju Yoon.”

“Yes.”

“Pack your bags. Let’s get out of here quickly.”